Troubles with some Major Arcana

[angelswithme1111]

Hi there,
I love reading tarots but when In a spread I get the following major arcana : the Pope, the Priestess, The Empress and the Emperor my mind just goes blank... I don't know how to read them . These Arcana just don't talk to me... can anyone help ?? why is this happening ? can any of you give me a brief meaning of each Arcana I just mentioned ? thank you !

[ravenstar]

Hi angelswithme

I'll begin and I'm sure others will have more to share :smile:

The High Priestess represents your deepest inner wisdom, she non-judgmentally observes all your memories, dreams, feelings, hormones, instincts and sensory data....all this flows through her before emerging into your life. She represents calm and patience with no action...through meditation she says let your inner world awaken.

The Empress symbolizes sexual desire, motherhood, fertility and renewal - she reminds us that we need to patiently nurture the things we want to bring into this world, whether they be a creative idea or a child. She says now is the time to experience the world with great feelings

The Emperor 'rules' the physical world, he sets rules, boundaries, names, labels and define things...he is not a creator but administrates and orders what the Empress created. He creates laws, establishes authority and energetically directs and focuses the feelings and imagination of the High Priestess and the Empress, initiating new and innovative schemes.

The Pope or Hierophant has changed dramatically over the years ~ it used to represent the 'ruling power of religion' of our behavior in public, how we should dress and the holidays we celebrate.

The Hierophant is seen more as the wisdom of the inner self. The Hierophant is a wise inner spiritual teacher that represents 'the revealer of sacred things'. He is a link between the spiritual and the physical and often participates in rituals and celebrations, e.g., marriage.

If you'd like to know what they mean in a specific reading, ask we'll try to answer your questions. :smile:

[PatriciaJ]

or assign short keywords such as:

High Priestess: Intuition, example: A tarot reader, a seer, a psychic

Empress: Fertility Mother

Emperor: Authority Father

Hierophant: Conformity Your priest or vicar

and etc....

[Pamuya]

For me the hardest one to read is he High Prestess. This says to me, sit back and be still, you already know the answer. You just cannot hear the answer because the roar of you emotions are drowding out with whispers of your intuition. The answer you seek is not found "out there", you are the one who knows, the who can fix it. For me as a person the HP is a loner, not showing emotion, emotions are kept at arms length. She does not wear her emotions on her sleve, she can come across as cold. But this person is wise and can see through you. She wont tell you the answer, she will make you figure it out. She is the spark of knowledge, where the origin of ideas are born. She keeps balance by seeing all possibilities, without attachment to dark or light, good or bad, right or wrong.

Pope/Hierophant: For me this card represents the customs of the culture you are in. The Pope is about traditions, living and working inside of the box. So if you were asking a question about a relationship, this relationship would be following the norms of that culture. As a person they would be very ridgid in how they deal with things. Things are back or white....there are no greys with the Hierophant, they are going to follow the rules, what is in "the book". That ever that book is, they do not write the book, the Hierophant is a follower, they follow the traditions of their faith/culture. Once I was asked what is the difference between the Hierophant and the Hermit... the Heirophant would give you the book of rules and have you study it, the Hermit would live you a blank piece of paper and a pen and have you write your own rules.

Empress, Feminine active principle. The life giving force, she produces life. The person who works with what she has. The rounding out, perfecting, completing stage. Get busy, get active in the world, start producing. Unconditional love. She is the Great Mother surrounded by love, beauty and growth. She rules with her heart, this card is the Mother archetype.

Emperor, Masculine passive principle. The establisher of laws, rules and regulations. The right to authority in the material world. Preparedness to defend the empire. The lesson of the right use of power. In the Rider-Waite deck the emperor holds the ANKH symbol of life and death. Attained position by proper planning. This card also represents reason in the social world, he orders our thoughts and energies. A time of stability in one's life. Key word is foundation. He rules by logic. This card is the Father archetype.

[ravenstar]

Marvelously said Pamuya :smile: